1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a method for controlling an information processing apparatus, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been an increasing demand for a reduction of the power consumption in information processing apparatuses, such as printers and digital multi-function devices. A known method which satisfies this demand is as follows. When an information processing apparatus has not been operating for a predetermined time period, the power supply to a communication unit in the information processing apparatus is maintained, whereas the power supply to the main controller in the information processing apparatus is reduced or interrupted, achieving a reduction in the power supply to the entire information processing apparatus. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-259906 describes the following method. When a communication unit receives a packet transmitted from the outside in a state in which the power supply to the main controller is reduced or interrupted, instead of waking the main controller, the communication unit, instead of the main controller, responds to the received packet.
Another known method used in an information processing apparatus, such as a printer or a digital multi-function device, is one in which filtering conditions, such as a transmission refusal condition and a reception refusal condition, are used to restrict communication between an external apparatus and the information processing apparatus, achieving improved security. For example, an information processing apparatus responds to a Ping request transmitted from an external apparatus, whereby the MAC address of the information processing apparatus may leak, or the response to the Ping request may cause information about the operating system (OS) of the information processing apparatus to leak to the outside. To address this problem, a filtering condition in which communication only from/to particular external apparatuses is permitted is set, prohibiting a response to an external apparatus other than the particular external apparatuses. Therefore, leakage of information about an information processing apparatus to outsiders as described above can be prevented.
Heretofore, a filtering process using a filtering condition has been performed by a main controller. When a communication unit responds to a packet as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-259906, a filtering process is not performed. Therefore, the method described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-259906 has a problem in that security cannot be ensured because a communication unit responds to an outsider to whom a response is to be prohibited, with the result that information about the information processing apparatus leaks to the outsider.